The actress and writer on the side-splitting comedy depicting that messy allure of Gen Z life
Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and at once begins an explanation. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she says, seeming genuinely regretful. Although she's only a bit delayed, she needs to clarify. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, during an interview, this is just what you want to experience. Besides, it’s pretty unsurprising. Anyone familiar with her unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass project titled Bottoms—that she collaborated on with her creative partner and starred in alongside close companion The Bear’s standout—would be aware that Sennott has a lot to say, whether on identity, relationships, or the appeal of starting a teen combat group. Plus, after watching her recent seasonal HBO series I Love LA, it is clear that she carries additional insights regarding the challenges of modern youth (At 30, she serves as a bridge for this generation, a tale-end millennial adept for straddling both generations).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being enthusiastic, referencing it alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for her series, which follows the travails of online personality played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and fledgling representative Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest presence on creative vision was reserved for the popular sitcom, that HBO sitcom focusing on a rising celebrity navigating in an often-seedy entertainment industry (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). She started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she explains. The inspiration for the series came—partly—from her own, at first rocky, move to Tinseltown and from the astrological phase, a frequently discussed occurrence for followers. This represented a phase that included her learn significant truths, in her career and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, Sennott started creating and acting comedy while pursuing performance at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “I tried out for all the NYU comedy groups, and got rejected from all of them. “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
She seized control, performing at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) bizarre online content online. One, titled Baby Cult, followed a group of women intensely obsessed with motherhood; another envisioned being employed at a trendy retail outlet as like being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she encountered Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she explains, has been people her own age offering opportunities, as opposed to traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Not the gatekeepers”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who were skeptical about Sennott earlier will surely be kicking themselves today. As part of she calls a “incredibly circular” turn of events, she has achieved an ideal role. In 2019 she uploaded content named on LA life online, in which she lampooned film promos (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos balancing advantages of online celebrity (such as socializing at a famous actor’s house) with drawbacks (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). One might simple to produce a show about digital influence that was overly aspirational—or, worse, one that belittled at those depicted. This show steers clear of each, creating a representation of advantaged millennial living that’s honest about the chaos and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” she comments. “I think that young people have been through a lot – I’m mostly thinking of people younger than me, like my little sister, who went to college during Covid, so she had to come home, or my other sister who was doing school online.”|“The younger generation has faced significant
